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Rounds, term sheets, fund announcements, and everything you need to understand how capital moves through the venture ecosystem.
Slide-by-slide breakdown of the 10-slide pitch deck Airbnb used to raise $600K from Sequoia Capital in 2009. What worked, what wouldn't fly today, and what every founder can steal.
You don't need to pay for investor databases to find the right VCs and angels. Here are 9 free methods that actually work — plus what you should never pay for.
8 real ways to get investors, ranked from easiest to hardest. With actual dollar amounts, timelines, and honest trade-offs for each method.
Most 'startup loans with no revenue' are scams or don't exist as advertised. Here are the 7 funding options that actually work for pre-revenue founders, with real numbers and honest trade-offs.
The dilution formula every founder needs to know, three worked examples from simple to multi-round, how option pools really work, and practical strategies to protect your ownership stake.
Most fundraising guides tell you what to put on a slide. This one covers the strategic layer: whether to raise at all, how much, from whom, and how to run a process that creates urgency instead of desperation.
The NVCA publishes free legal templates that can save you $10-30K in lawyer fees. Here's every document explained in plain English, plus what to watch for.
Evan Spiegel raised from Lightspeed in 2012 with a pitch deck that broke every rule. Here's what each slide said, what worked, and what founders can steal.
Angel investors write $25K-$250K checks with less diligence than VCs. Here's where to find them, how to approach them, and what terms to expect for your pre-seed round.
Due diligence is the investigation an investor does before writing a check. Here's the exact checklist VCs use — financial, legal, product, team, and market — plus the 21 documents your data room needs.
We analyzed the actual pitch decks from Airbnb, Uber, Buffer, LinkedIn, and 20+ other funded startups. Here's what worked, what didn't, and the patterns every founder should steal.
Every funding round from pre-seed to Series F, explained with real numbers. Typical amounts, valuations, dilution percentages, and who invests at each stage.
A term sheet is the blueprint for your startup deal. We break down every section of the NVCA model term sheet — economic terms, control terms, investor rights — so you know exactly what you're signing.
Liquidation preference determines who gets paid first when your startup sells. The difference between 1x non-participating and 1x participating can cost founders millions. Here's how it works.
A $15M pre-money valuation isn't what you think it is. Option pools, stacked SAFEs, and the valuation trap catch first-time founders every time. Here's the math you actually need.
We break down every section of a VC term sheet: valuation, liquidation preference, board seats, anti-dilution, vesting, and no-shop. What's standard vs predatory.
You start at 100%. After co-founders, SAFEs, seed, and Series A, you're at 22%. Here's the math at every stage, plus a calculator to model your own scenario.
SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds each have tradeoffs. Here's when to use each, with worked examples showing exactly what they cost you in dilution.
Liquidation preference, anti-dilution, drag-along rights — term sheets are designed to confuse you. Here's every term explained in plain English, with what's founder-friendly vs. what to push back on.
Raising money isn't about finding one yes. It's about running a process. Here's the step-by-step playbook for building an investor pipeline that actually converts.
Most founders think raising $5M means getting $5M. It doesn't. Here's the real math on dilution, legal fees, time costs, and hidden terms that nobody warns you about.
Founders obsess over the wrong slides. Here's what VCs actually care about in your pitch deck, slide by slide, from someone who's sat on both sides of the table.
Step-by-step seed fundraising guide with real numbers. Median seed is $3.5M at $15-20M post. 40-60 meetings in 6-8 weeks. Here's the full playbook.
We break down 5 pitch deck formats that actually got funded. Plus what VCs really look at (spoiler: not your TAM slide).